New solution for the homeless and mentally ill discovered at Rikers Island

NEW YORK (AP) â€” Jerome Murdough was just looking for a warm place to sleep on a chilly night last month when he curled up in an enclosed stairwell on the roof of a Harlem public housing project where he was arrested for trespassing.

A week later, the mentally ill homeless man was found dead in a Rikers Island jail cell that four city officials say had overheated to at least 100 degrees, apparently because of malfunctioning equipment.

Arresting someone for trespassing is bad enough, then set bail? $5 is more than this poor bastard could manage, of course, I don't want to leave out that he is a Marine. Great job VA---fucking disgrace

The homeless in your area will be thrilled that you're opening up your home and office for them to camp out in.

Click to expand...

he was on a roof of a public housing complex, arresting a homeless, mentally ill veteran, instead of taking them to the VA or a shelter is directing resources in the wrong direction. The fact that there exists a place called "New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans" is a disgrace

he was on a roof of a public housing complex, arresting a homeless, mentally ill veteran, instead of taking them to the VA or a shelter is directing resources in the wrong direction. The fact that there exists a place called "New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans" is a disgrace